Händlmaier’s Mustard is a traditional German mustard, rarely available in the U.S. But through Händlmaier’s Mustard Club Cincinnati efforts, and those of a few importers, word of Händlmaier’s great taste is spreading.

In 1910 the butcher Charles and his wife Johanna Händlmaier founded their first butcher shop in the Old Town of Regensburg. Johanna Händlmaier wanted to offer her customers something very special for their sausages, and in 1914, her “sweet homemade mustard” was first created and thus laid the foundation for the company. In the beginning the mustard was made in small batches, in a saucepan in the butcher shop’s kitchen.

Louise Händlmaier

Their son Joseph and his wife Louise Händlmaier took over the shop in 1949, and by Joseph’s death in 1955 they had several stores. In 1964 Louise decided to focus the business solely on their most popular product, mustard (specifically their classic süße Hausmachersenf), and the Händlmaier’s Mustard company was founded.

Then, as now, only the finest ingredients that Mother Nature has to offer are used in Händlmaier’s Mustard: mustard seed from Canada, clear water, the best sugar and vinegar, and of course their secret spices. Over the past two decades Händlmaier’s has seen huge growth, and they’ve expanded their products to include gourmet sauces, the very popular “super sharp mustard” (Superscharfer Senf), their sausage mustard (Würstlsenf), and barbecue mustard (Grillsenf).

In their home country Händlmaier’s has become a nationwide leader in sweet mustard (67.7% market share in Germany, and a 77.6% share in Bavaria, according to AC Nielsen), and with help of loyal fans, like our club, they’re being welcomed on to store shelves and tables in the U.S.

If you’re interested in trying Händlmaier’s mustard, join us for a Club “Meeting,” and sample several different varieties (with several varieties of German sausages to dip in them). In addition to being fans, club members also share recipes using Händlmaier’s various sauces and mustards to make their favorite dishes.

Since the founding of the club, Händlmaier’s Freunde Cincinnati has been receiving questions from mustard lovers about where to find Händlmaier’s fine products locally. Mustard fans in the Greater Cincinnati are in luck, as Händlmaier’s Hausmacher Senf has been spotted for sale at Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield.

Händlmaier’s Freunde Cincinnati e.V. is also actively approaching local stores and butcher shops to ask them to stock our favorite mustard, thus ensuring that mustard fans can enjoy the original Händlmaier’s not too far from home. If you have a suggestion for a store near you that you would like us to contact, please contact us with the name of the store.